67 History

Historical Time Line (Cont.)

During the 1600s, settlements began in what would become Virginia, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania. Also, Shakespeare completed his run at the Globe Theatre, and Galileo and Newton completely changed science.

Direct students to the population figures at the bottom of the page. They go from a quarter million to almost a million colonists in the space of 100 years. Have students divide 750,000 by 100 to find out how many new people arrived/were born and survived per year in the U.S. on average over that time (7,500). Also, point out that the final number at the end of the 1600s is still lower than the number of Native Americans in the territory two hundred years earlier.

Have students select two interesting events from this time period and research both. Then have students choose one event and write a paragraph or essay about it.

Historical Time Line (Cont.)

Have students look through the 1750s–1790s. This period, of course, gave birth to the great American experiment, including the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the U.S. Constitution. It also saw the U.S. population more than quadruple from about 4 million in 1750 to 17 million by the end of the 1790s. Prompt deeper thinking with the following questions:

• What do you notice about population growth? (It multiplies rather than simply adding.)
• The U.S. rebelled with about 13 million people. Would the colonies have done so at 4 million? (Probably not. Even at 13 million, they were vastly out-numbered and out-armed by the British.)
• How do changes in population affect political realities and possibilities? (Greater population leads to greater military and economic strength as well as stronger aspirations for a better society.)

Have students select two interesting events from this time period and research them. Then have students write a paragraph or an essay about one of the topics.

Historical Time Line (Cont.)

The 1850s–1890s was a period of great upheaval in the U.S. The Civil War dominated the 1860s, and the growth of rampant capitalism (with carpet baggers and huge trusts) dominated the rest of the time period. Many things we now take for granted originated during this time, though, including railroads, blue jeans, baseball, and light bulbs.

Have students select two interesting events and investigate them further, writing a paragraph or essay about one event.

Historical Time Line (Cont.)

The period of 1925 to 1950 saw the Great Depression and World War II (which killed about 65 million people). The Greatest Generation battled through both of these terrible events. This time also brought penicillin (and other antibiotics) to health care, saw the Empire State Building rise as the tallest skyscraper, made the "Star Spangled Banner" the U.S. national anthem, and introduced Superman to the world—an imagined man of steel meant to defeat Nazis and other terrible threats to "truth, justice, and the American way."

Have students select two interesting events from this time and research them. Then have students write a paragraph or essay about one of the events.

Historical Time Line (Cont.)

The period from 1975 to 2000 saw many changes. The Vietnam War ended, the Cold War ended, the Berlin Wall fell, and the Soviet Union dissolved. The U.S. enjoyed an economic windfall from no longer fighting the Cold War and being the only superpower remaining—an economic bubble that burst after George W. Bush took office. Desktop computers became widely available, and email first appeared.

Have students select two interesting events from this period and research them further. Then have them write a paragraph of an essay detailing one of the events.